


The Man with the Bright Smile

by Wimex



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Reunions, and a poor dead Striker, just a lot of feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-03
Updated: 2018-11-03
Packaged: 2019-08-17 00:48:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16505984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wimex/pseuds/Wimex
Summary: "His first and most treasured memory was a piercing light, then an equally blinding smile of a man with a pen looking over him. The face had blurred over time, but Bendy has always remembered the sheer happiness that came from that smile."





	The Man with the Bright Smile

The ink seeped from the roof and crawled its way down the wall as he stopped walking to look at it. It was always the same wherever he went. The pipes hidden within the walls wore down at its joints and ink leaked out, dripping onto the wooden structures that made up the studio. It soon seeped into the wood and then it came through. It always starts as a drop, but afterwards it grew and the wood wouldn’t be able to hold it back and snapped, letting down endless amounts of ink.

Bendy put his skeletal hand into the ink flow and looked up at the breach. The ink was always cold, the kind of cold that sucked the heat out of anything it touched. He pulled his hand out and the ink was slowly absorbed into his form. He sighed and continued on his way to his original destination to the upper levels.  
  
He remembered how the studio used to be, before it became was it currently was, though the memories came in flashes or, but it was those short little moments from long ago that he clung onto. It was memories of a happier time.

Once, there used to be people everywhere, always running around trying to beat their giving time limits and quota, but despite it all, there was always a happy vibe that ran through the entire studio. An excitement for artist and creators to always do their best to present the world with what they can do. Talent was bursting at the seams. Nowadays, the hallways were silent and only the occasional ink being was present, as well as the never ending sound of ink echoing through the abandoned building.   
  
His first and most treasured memory was a piercing light, then an equally blinding smile of a man with a pen looking over him. The face had blurred over time, but Bendy has always remembered the sheer happiness that came from that smile. Every time that man had drawn him, the smile whether soft or otherwise was always present. Even if the face was faded with time, Bendy knew that was his creator, the artist who brought him to life. He couldn’t even remember the man’s name.   
  
He finally reached the upper most level. It was always the quietest up here, though the ink was still present. He could hear the echo of the drips from a breach somewhere near. No other inhabitant of the studio came up to this level, so it became Bendy’s own little sanctuary. He headed onwards to the other side of the level, towards the production side of the animation department. He looked at the entrance of the studio as he walked by. It hasn’t been opened in years.

As he reached his destination, Bendy laid his hand on top of the drafting desk that belonged to the man with the bright smile. Much earlier and his most happiest memories came from this desk. Sketches of episodes, and well as him in various poses and expressions lined the walls all around the small space. A couple of sheets were pinned to the desk as well. A sketch of a basic shape, on-model version of Bendy, and a simple head with a small smile with a large ‘NO’ over it.

The man with the bright smile worked all the time, drawing, lining, sketching, or designing. Each piece he had done, he has always poured his love into. Flashes of him were few, but something pulled within Bendy. Though only knowing this man for a short period of his life, Bendy loved this man. He slid down next to the desk and drew his knees up and wrapped his bony arms around them, then leaned against the desk.

Bendy didn’t know why the man left, but he wasn’t angry, only heartbroken. It was soon after the man left, did the memories get darker with the other man with the sharp look in his eye. He was the writer for the animations, and the author of so many nightmares for the studio inhabitants, including Bendy himself.

He exhaled and shook his head. This was not a time to think about that person, no, this was a time to think about his creator. Tightening his arms around himself, Bendy let his walls come down and cried, thinking of his creators smile.

\--

He was close. He knew it! Stalking the halls of Heavenly Toys, Bendy searched for the intruder. The Angel talked and mocked the unknown man through the speakers, but she was a talker and schemer. At the moment, she didn’t matter to him. He moved on into another portal.

Coming out of a portal, Bendy glanced around him. Level P used to be a small administrative office for handling the toys produced. Now, it was just like everywhere else in the studio. Bendy knew that the intruder was on this level, if Alice’s talking was any indicating. Slow and steadily, Bendy headed towards to elevator, careful to step over a Strikers body. He’ll deal with that later, if the ink doesn’t dissolve on its own back into the floor.

“This damned elevator. It’s always moving on its own.” A grumbling voice echoed down the hallway. Found him! Bendy peered around the corner, and saw the man continuously jabbing at the elevator button.

Just as Bendy was about to move down the hallway, the elevator announced its arrive with a ‘ding’. He had to move now or he’ll lose his change to grab the intruder.

“Boris,” The man said light heartedly, “Are you having fun with the elevator?” Boris just shrugged. The man grinned and laughed and Bendy froze and for a moment, he forgot to breathe. That smile … It couldn’t be …

He watched the man enter the elevator and go back down to the lower levels. Bendy didn’t move. The intruder had the same smile as the man with the bright smile from his memories. But how? Why? Why come back after all this time? What did he think he was doing entering such a place full of nightmares?

Bendy thought this intruder, this unknown man full of mystery, came here to end them all. He was terrified for all the lost souls within the studio, all the unfortunate employees turned into something horrendous against their will. Bendy was going to throw the man out of the studio to protect everyone else.

 But now, Bendy didn’t think he had it in him to hurt the man.

Bendy hunched over, grabbed his head and squeezed. If he only talked to the man, confronted him instead of trying to grab him at the beginning, maybe he would have found out sooner. Maybe he could have convinced him to leave. Maybe, maybe, maybe. So many ifs and whats came to him. Now that he had been chasing him, the man was terrified of him. Always running as fast as he could in the other direction.

He had to try to corner the man, and confront him. It seemed like that was the only way to get to see the face of the man close up. Straightening himself up, Bendy took a deep breath in and set off to find the man.

It shouldn’t be too hard, since the man was breaking the cutouts on Level K.

Porting in to Level K, Bendy could hear Angel mocking him.

“… Ah, but I forgot to mention, he hates it when I do that. I would hide if I were you.” She laughed and the audio cut off. Bendy huffed at a speaking and moved down the stairs in to the main room of Heavenly Toys.

Looking around, Bendy saw that all the cutouts had been cut down, but there was no sign of the man. There was only one place he could have hidden. With a limp in his step, Bendy moved towards the miracle station in the middle of the room and peaked inside the viewing hole. The man was inside and looked back right into his ink covered eyes. Bendy straightened, took a deep breath in and gripped the handle, opening the door as slow as he could without startling him.

The man inside was seated as far back as he could. Ink stained his pants and spots were scattered on his dress shirt. He was breathing heavily and he had the axe close to his chest in a death grip. A droplet of sweat rolled down the side of his face as he shook in fear staring at Bendy, eyes rapidly scanning him.

Bendy looked at the man for a moment before bringing both his hands up. The man’s eyes quickly shot down at to look at the hands reaching for him. He held his breath as Bendy gently touched the corners of his mouth with his index fingers and slowly pushing his cheeks up, forcing a smile at him. Bendy’s face dropped in shock.

“You’re him.” Bendy spoke in awe. The man just continued to look at him. Bendy dropped to his knees and shuddered, still holding a smile on the other man’s face.

“… The man with the bright smile.” Bendy’s own expression fell as he tried to hold back his tears. The man in front of him, while trying to calm his breathing, was no longer terrified, and instead looked at Bendy curiously.

“Bendy?” The man whispered. Bendy could only nod in confirmation moving his hands off him. The man slowly let his own hand go of the axe and brought it to Bendy’s face, softly touching an ink covered cheek. They both held their breaths as he swiped the ink away from Bendy’s face revealing piecut eyes. Tears swelled up in them.

“I know who you are, you’re the one who created me,” The man nodded and Bendy continued. “I remember that you were the first person I saw so long ago. I-I didn’t know it was you this whole time, but I remembered your smile. It was always such a happy smile a-and I’ve never forgotten it. It was everything to me, and it still is.” Bendy choked on his words and tears fell from his eyes.

“But I don’t know your name.”

The man smiled and rubbed a tear away from Bendy’s face.

“My name is Henry.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Just trying my hand and writing something with a bit of sad feelings.   
> Took me less than a day to type.  
> This story has not been beta'd.


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